91�ȱ�

If you love boxing, chances are you've heard of Nicola Adams.

This incredible athlete broke down barriers back in London 2012 becoming the first woman to win an Olympic gold medal in boxing.

She held onto this incredible title at Rio 2016!

But at the age of 37 she's now she's retiring from the sport.

Here are five ways this amazing athlete has smashed it!

1. Proved women can succeed in boxing

Typically boxing used to be a man's sport, and in fact women were banned from doing it in the UK until 1996.

Believe it or not, when Nicola first started in boxing she was told that "women can't box".

She was 13 at the time and her passion for the sport grew from there.

Her big break came four years later when she was asked to take part in an England team camp alongside future world heavyweight champion David Haye in 2001.

She was called up to box for her country not long afterwards and never looked back!

2. She's made the honours list, twice!

Nicola is one of the most successful female boxers of all time.

She came the first British boxer for 92 years to successfully defend their Olympic title, when she won gold at the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Games.

Between these two events she also became Commonwealth and European Champion and was crowned World Champion in May 2016 to secure a grand slam of titles.

Having won every title open to her in amateur boxing, she has since turned professional and has a current record of three wins and no defeats.

In recognition of her services to boxing and unprecedented achievements, Nicola was appointed MBE in 2013 and OBE in 2016.

3. She gives back to the community

In 2015 she became an Ambassador of Fight for Peace, it's an organisation which helps young people develop skills to stop violence in the communities where they live.

Since taking up the role, she has championed Fight for Peace's work around the world, inspiring young women in particular to take up combat sport.

She's attended training sessions and has held a number of events in the UK and Brazil with young people.

4. World Boxing Champion

Nicola turned professional in 2017 and she went on to win the WBO belt against Isabel Millan less than 18 months later.

She said "it's been an honour to compete on the global stage, and it has been a privilege to fight against such remarkable athletes."

"Hanging up my gloves was always going to hard, but I have never felt luckier, And I'm so immensely proud of how far the sport has come."

5. She inspires other girls

After winning her first Olympic gold medal in London 2012, it was reported that there was a 50 percent increase in women taking up the sport.

After she won that incredible match she said "I want to see more girls getting into boxing and participating, if young girls see me winning golds and want to get into boxing because of that then I'll have achieved everything."

You've definitely done a lot to inspire the next generation Nicola!